happiness is...

someone once asked me what my perfect day would consist of. my answer was "time with friends and family, delicious eats, something active that i enjoy, and lots of laughter." it was a pretty simple, genuine answer i think. there isn't anything more that i need to keep me happy. this week i was graced with all of those things over and over again to a point of almost maximum capacity. most weeks are pretty great but this one was particularly stellar! 

here are just some pieces of the week! 

-----you guys already know that we had a bachelorette party for Muri in Vegas with a bunch of friends but my coworkers weren't able to attend that so we decided to have a second, more relaxing bachelorette party for her in Napa. Ruby, Natasha, Lindsay and i planned a day of good eats, soothing spa treatments and champagne tastings to celebrate the bride before her big day arrives. 

Ruby, Jenna, Natasha, Lindsay, Muri.

we're missing Lorraine who couldn't make it but was definitely there with us in our minds and in spirit. missed you, chick!

delicious brunch and boozy mimosas (tomatoey vodka for Lindsay...) at Mustards 

warm chocolate hazelnut truffle tart with espresso ice cream, caramel sauce and praline.

get this!!! so...damn...good! 

on our way to get rubbed down! ;)

we got our relaxing massages, scrubs and facials at Mais Oui in downtown Napa. this place is a small house that was converted into a "spa." they were able to do all five of us at the same time, which was super convenient. unfortunately (or fortunately?? haha) some of us shared rooms and got to know each other a little more than anticipated. 

next stop was champagne tasting at Mumm! Jenna, a friend of ours, was able to set us up at a table with a great view of the vineyard. as a result of her awesomeness we also got some special treatment as far as extra courtesy and bonus tastings that were very much appreciated and also provided us with a nice buzz for the evening. the people at Mumm are so nice and welcoming, i definitely recommend it as a tasting stop while in the Napa Valley area!...not to mention the delicious bubblies!

nice view, right? if it weren't gloomy out we would've had the doors opened or better yet, been sat outside. but no complaints, i'm pretty sure this was the best seat in the house.

just the beginning

everybody minus Lindsay, who was busy pumping milk in the car for her brand new baby who was patiently waiting at home for mom. maybe that was TMI but what's done is done. also, this will explain the next picture a little better.

probably more TMI...long story short, Lindsay's milk got on my hand and this is my 'what the what' just friggin' happened expression. never in my life did i expect to have something that was just moments before in my friend all of a sudden on me. 

note to self: stay away from things that have recently detached from your friend's nipples. 

dinner and drinks at Morimoto. we splurged and stuffed ourselves with delicious things like bone marrow, sashimi, pork ribs, toro tartare, duck confit fried rice, hamachi tacos and the morimoto sashimi. but i think the winners were definitely the uni carbonara and the marinated dumplings with crispy pig ears. what a rich, delicious meal!

Morimoto sashimi

marinated dumplings with crispy pig ears

uni carbonara

sad that Lorraine couldn't join us, we tried to include her in a photo.

we finished the night off with fresh made-to-order donuts at Boon Fly Cafe and called it a night.

------earlier in the week my friend Meiche announced via group text that she was engaged and getting married on Friday to her boyfriend fiance, Victor. she's in Hawaii so she live streamed their very intimate wedding for friends and family who are elsewhere in the world to, in a sense, partake in their big day. to make it even more eventful, i gathered some friends over for a pizza viewing party. we had a very relaxed and hilarious (because my friends are funny/entertaining) "reception" before the actual viewing. we facetimed a couple of our other friends who are out of town to join us in the wedding festivities. it's sort of fascinating how technology can bring people together for things like this nowadays. quite amazing actually. 

congrats Meiche and Victor and the family you've built together!

we celebrated by cheersing with apple cider and also took the opportunity to celebrate Kris' 30th birthday with cake! happy 30th Special Friend!! love you endlessly!

-----late night shenanigans with my favorite Metro "Italian" Vietnamese! 

him: what are you doing tonight?

me: i'm out with some guy but what's up? i'll leave soon and meet you after! 

this meant drinks, gross food at Lori's and a memorable encounter between his friend and some woman who i vividly remember hearing say "no, i have no desire to speak with you at this moment!" damn, i wonder what he said/did to her in the past to make her so sternly object to any slight communication with him.

-----hopped on my bike for the first time in a verrrrrry long time (over a year) and it felt just as awesome as i remember it. i can't wait to get back on my Dolce regularly and frequent rides in Marin. there's something about the wind sifting through your hair, the accomplishment of a climb, the rush of a descend and being able to visibly see the distance you've covered that makes cycling one of my favorite past, present and future activities. i mean, i could do without the gnats flying in my face but otherwise it's an awesome way to spend time. 

my Specialized Dolce sport

-----you guys, i think i've found my new favorite comedian next to Louis CK!! a friend, Jon, invited me to Cobb's with an extra ticket to see Chris D'Elia this past thursday and i shit you not, i did not stop laughing for the duration of his full set. if you know me well you know that it takes some serious wit to make me truly laugh. there wasn't one thing he said that didn't have me stretching my mouth from ear to ear and convulsing like a person during seizure in a never ending bout of laughter. okay that might be a slight exaggeration but not by much. i saw him at the Oddball Tour last year and thought he was pretty damn great but the set he did at Cobb's was by far one of the best comedy shows i've ever been to. aahhh to laugh is to live!

watch his bit on church here! SO funny! but wait...if you're sensitive on that subject then maybe don't watch it. or do, but don't blame me! i gave you fair enough warning. 

such a fulfilling week! =)

your own company

sometimes the best company is your own company. when i was a young twenty-something and a server at a restaurant i used to see people come in to have a meal by themselves. initially i thought it was sad and assumed they didn't have anybody else to hang out with. but as i matured, i realized that sometimes people prefer to sit by themselves and have some time without others. upon this epiphany (at about 22 years old) i decided to spend a day doing things that people would typically do with others and experience them solo. i remember going to get a bowl of ramen at Katana Ya and then watching a chick flick at the theater. in both cases i first felt like people saw and took note that i was by myself, then wondered if they thought the same things i did about the solo diners i had encountered. but after ten minutes, i decided that i didn't really care. it didn't really matter what they thought. plus, i was having a good time eating the food i wanted to eat as well as watching a stupid movie i'm sure nobody else wanted to see. it was nice to not have to coordinate with others about when, where, who and what we were going to do. also, it was quite liberating.

since then, i often do things by myself. i think it's important to spend time alone to take a moment and just relax. do the things only you want to do. have no conversations. take time to just be. so yesterday i decided i needed a spa day in Sonoma. i threw in a couple of restaurants i wanted to check out as always! and on my way back i stopped to take some pictures of the Golden Gate Bridge at the Marin Headlands because there are never enough pictures of that gorgeous structure. 

The Fremont Diner is a great place to grab what you might stereotypically think of as 'grub.' it's just hearty, homey kind of  food. i hear their milkshakes are really good but i went for breakfast and decided that ice cream at 8am probably wasn't the best call. but don't think it didn't cross my mind.

sausage biscuit. i added a fried egg because if you're going to eat shittily, do it the best way possible. take note at that crisped cheese. that's the good stuff! also,  a single ricotta pancake. 

after breakfast i went to the Spa Terra at the The Meritage Resort. i haven't had too many 'spa' experiences. my massages usually consist of a small asian lady and a table covered with a blanket you'd find at the flea market (don't knock it till you've tried it! no frills, but gets the job done). though i'm fairly inexperienced in pampering, i'm going to have to say that i think Spa Terra is probably one of the better spa spots in Wine Country. if you get a treatment done (whether it be facial, massage, etc) you can use their facilities for the whole day. they've got a large steam room, jacuzzi, nice 'serenity' room for relaxing, and you can use the hotel pool which has cabanas and food/drink service. my experience at Spa Terra was spectacular. super peaceful and relaxing. very cleanly and equipped with anything you might need. i can't wait to go back and make use of the pool. next time i'll spend a whole day there.

entrance. to the right, wine tasting. to the left, the spa.

serenity room. i spent an hour relaxing here.

rehydration station. they also had trail mix and apples.

with a bun in my hair, i felt like i looked monk-ish. 

this notebook was in the serenity room for people to write about their experience or any positive message.

this was mine....

lunch at Boon Fly Cafe. Kobe beef burger with blue cheese and bacon. good stuff! 

fresh fried donuts with chocolate dipping sauce. yummmm! just the right amount of chew. 

aaahh this city. 

everybody always takes pictures of the bridge but how about these rock formations along the headlands, hmmm? they're pretty awesome looking too, y'know! 

such a sight!

original

the iphone/instagram version

154:365 Napa, once again

154:365 Napa, once again

153:365 barrel cave

because i didn't have a day 153 photo. this is a photo i took of the barrel cave at Cade Winery.

on saturday i took a trip to Napa with a bunch of people for wine tasting and good food. i'm not much of a wine drinker, but rarely pass up an opportunity to hang out with people and spend a sunny day out.

susan, Libby, Jeff, Eva, Jared, me, Caroline, Leyen, Lilian and Gary

we first headed to addendum for fried chicken. remember, i recently went to Napa specifically for the Ad Hoc fried chicken, only to have gone on the wrong Monday? well lucky me, Lilian suggested addendum for lunch this day and i finally got to try the fried chicken.

3 piece fried chicken, cornbread, corn succotash, potato salad. $20 after tax/tip. it was super flavorful and juicy, perfectly crisp and just right. though i love hot sauce with fried chicken, it wasn't necessary this day.

we next headed to beautiful Cade Winery for wine tasting as well as a tour. this winery is located on Howell Mountain, so it provided for gorgeous views of Napa.

le boys

le girls

next we went to Ladera for another wine tasting. at this point tasting wine became less and less appealing to me because i don't like wine in any shape or form anyhow. i just gave Caroline all of my wine.

we also went to grab a to-go dinner from Rutherford Grill, which we ate at a picnic table at an closed restaurant across from Bouchon. i forgot to take pictures because i could not wait to get up in that. good food, but in my opinion there are better things to eat in Napa. plus, the Hillstone in SF is basically the same food.